Between work and care: a comparative study of the trajectories of women from different social classes in Cuba and Argentina1

Abstract

This article offers a comparative analysis of the employment and caregiving trajectories of women from different social classes in Cuba and Argentina, within the broader framework of persistent gender and class inequalities in Latin America. Drawing on 24 biographical interviews, the study demonstrates how women's growing participation in paid employment coexists with the disproportionate burden of caregiving responsibilities, producing tensions and constraints in their access to and retention in the labor market. Although both countries maintain state-protectionist welfare systems, their structural differences—a socialist model with strong state involvement versus a capitalist model marked by labor market segmentation—do not prevent families, and particularly women, from remaining the primary providers of well-being. The findings reveal that, despite national specificities, women in both contexts adopt similar strategies to navigate the double burden of work and caregiving, underscoring the need for comprehensive and co-responsible policies that address these inequalities in a multidimensional manner. The research contributes qualitative evidence on the interplay between macrosocial (welfare systems), mesosocial (labor markets and care policies), and microsocial (individual trajectories) scales, illustrating how inequalities are shaped at the intersection of gender, class, and care work. In conclusion, the article highlights the importance of advancing toward social protection systems that recognize care work as a right and promote shared responsibility among the state, the market, families, and communities.